Mauk in Socceroos squad for England clash

Adelaide United midfield dynamo, Stefan Mauk, has been selected as part of Ange Postecoglou’s Caltex Socceroos squad for its match with England.

The Caltex Socceroos squad will meet in Newcastle, England, for their international friendly against England at the Stadium of Light on Friday, 27 May (local time).

And following his string of impressive performances for the Reds in the Hyundai A-League 2015/16 season, Stefan Mauk has been selected by Ange Postecoglou to be part of his 23-man squad to take on the Three Lions.

Mauk, who joined United in January from Melbourne City, finished his season with seven goals and four assists. This is the first time the 20-year-old has been called up to the Socceroos, although the talented South Australian has been involved in Australia’s Olyroos squad in the past, including the AFC U-23 Championship in Doha, Qatar.

Craig Goodwin, who it was announced will be departing the Reds to join Eredivisie side, Sparta Rotterdam, has also been included in the 23-man team.

Goodwin, 24, has featured twice already for the Socceroos, but this is the first time he has been called into the squad since July 2013. His recall into the team comes after a very impressive second season with the Reds, which saw him score four goals and provide four assists, before being voted the Club’s Aurelio Vidmar Club Champion.

The selection process has been a challenging one for Postecoglou given the timing.

“Whilst it is an exciting fixture for us, it falls outside the FIFA window which means some boys, unfortunately, won’t be available for it. That includes all the boys playing in Asia and also Jason Geria who is playing for Melbourne Victory in the AFC Champions League, so we’ve taken all that into account.” Postecoglou said.

“We have had to cast the net far and wide again and at the same time I think we have come up with a squad that will be really competitive on the day.

“More importantly for me, it gives me a chance to see some further growth in some players playing against the best possible opposition.

“Due to this unique set of circumstances, we will name another squad next week for the upcoming matches against Greece where which will consider all eligible players.

Focusing on the match, Postecoglou was looking forward to the challenge, saying: “As an Australian, it is always a special event when we face England in any sport, probably more so with football.

“England is obviously a quality team and will be good challenge for us especially away from home.”

“I think it is constantly important that we test ourselves against the best and always against different types of opposition.

“Having come off the back of the first stage of qualifying against Asian opposition, it will be good to face up to something different and see how we are tracking with our progression.

“Ultimately we want to qualify for a World Cup, but we also want to know our game style and game plan will stand up against the very best,” concluded Postecoglou.The Caltex Socceroos match against England will be broadcast exclusively LIVE on FOX SPORTS.